Fireside Stories
by Raven Lynn
Summary: Everyone has their stories to tell and Dalish love their stories. Dalish Mage inquisitor, just a few drabbles that popped into my head. Right now working on some other pairings namely our dear dwarf who still is not a LI
1. Chapter 1

"Seeker! Seeker we have one. Someone's alive…if just barely." A soldier called out, across the expanse of the carnage that had been the conference.

Cassandra, Varric and the elf Solas ran over. The ash in the air made it hard to see but the soldier who had called out was kneeling over a form, another soldier; Varric noted with an eye roll, had his sword trained on the figure lying prone and motionless.

Solas knelt over the form and rolled it over on its…no _her _back to help stabilize the unconscious survivor. The soldiers had not taken their eyes off the glowing green light emanating from the woman's right hand.

"She's a Dalish." Solas says surprised, his eyes tracing the vallaslin on her face. Blood matted the side of her face. The ink outlined ghoulishly in the green glow. It was almost impossible to discern her features. Whatever had happened, this woman had taken one hell of a beating.

"She's a _mage_." Cass growled as if the word tasted bad. Varric knew the Seeker had no love lost to the casters but this woman was about as far from a threat to the armor clad woman, as a mouse to a lion right now.

Solas went to work trying to stabilize the woman and the thing on her hand that had started throbbing again, Cassandra didn't take her eyes off of it but resumed issuing commands. She wanted the elf shackled and chained, because _that _always works so well. Images of the Gallows in Kirkwall coming to the surface of Varric's mind. He steps forward and puts a hand on Cass's elbow.

"Seeker, Solas seems to think that thing on her hand is just as likely to kill her. He is trying all he can but having her in irons will only slow down his efforts and waste your soldiers time. Time that could be better spent looking for survivors. " He put emphasis on the last word, knowing as loathe as she was to admit it Cassandra was still praying to find the Divine somewhere in the rubble.

"I will stay here and help the Elf as much as I can. Should anything come bothering us Bianca is more than ready. Go lead your men." He tilted his head in the direction where a small group of soldiers were trying to pry rocks off a collapsed section of the castle foundation.

"Yes, I shall do that." Cassandra aggress after another glance at the two elves, both ignorant of her scornful gaze. Without another word she marches off in the direction of the battalion.

"Yeah, no problem. You're welcome."

"Your friend does not seem overly fond of me." Solas says without stopping his spell.

"Baldy, friend is a gross exaggeration. Remind me one night over many drinks to tell you the story of how the Lady Seeker and I first met." Varric side steps around the rubble to watch Solas, who was once again starting at the marking on the girls face. Yep, definitely a story there. Provided of course any of them survived that long.


	2. Chapter 2

"The Breach" had been stabilized, not closed as the Seeker had no doubt hoped. The elf who called herself "Lavellan" had survived and they had all made their way back to camp. Varric was itching with the stories he could smell in the air. He had noticed the way Solas was watching the other elf with equal parts not so subtle intrigue and want to dissect her. To make it even better the girl had noticed.

And the fact that Cassandra wasn't leaving the woman's side was not helping matters. Varric knew from firsthand experience that the Templar was slow to trust but he was nothing if not persuasive and he would never get the elf to open up about her ordeal under the disapproving harrumph-ing of Cassandra.

"Seeker, don't you have soldiers to spank or is that Ser Cullen's turn tonight?" He inquired sweetly. Both elves were now looking at him as if he had taken leave of his senses, talking to the sword happy lady like that. But he just flipped the tails of his duster over a rock and swept his feet onto Lavellan's startled lap.

"We three trouble makers will just sit here by the fire while you lament to Sister Mockingjay over there how crude and insufferable we are. It is well past night fall and fighting through hostile territory in the dark with our own lightening bug may not be the best idea." He gives a casual thumb to the elves still glowing palm. With a smirk at the still surprised looking elves Varric congratulates himself. He managed to get a captive audience at the same time as annoying the uptight seeker. That my friends is what we call a double win.

"So, let's start at the beginning with you oh nameless elf." He quirks at eyebrow at the Dalish.


	3. Chapter 3

"Wavy white hair like snow on marble. Eyes that laugh to hide all the pain, pain I wish I could take away. In the stories we are always happy, always joking. At least in the stories I can make her smile again. Edit out the details that hurt, stories become truth if you tell it enough."

"Kid didn't Blackwall talk to you about cutting that out?" Varric looked over his glass to Cole. They were gathered around the Herald's Rest after the events of the Winter's Palace. The Inquisitor had even managed to talk Cassandra and Cullen into joining them, it had been a long series of events in Orlais and they desperately needed down time, or so Varric had thought until Cole started poking around.

The Inquisitor looked at Cole curiously across the table. She was a quick one and the description only fit a very select few in Thedas_, Andraste damnit the mage was going to needle him for days about this one._

"White turns to Grey but he leads her only to pain. What was left of the Grey is gone now into darkness taking her light with it. They can find me but I can't let them find her." The ghost boy blinks and looks from Varric to Cassandra with understanding.

"You knew the Seekers were coming for you. You let yourself get caught so Hawke could get away. But you never told her how you felt. You always let her get away."

The Seeker's eyes go from Cole to Varric to Lavellan._ Makers sweet nutbag don't make a big deal out of this. _

"It never occurred to me how a Deshyr, and a member of the merchants guild could get letters halfway across the continent but never heard word that a small chantry militia was looking for him directly?" Is that a hint of a smile on Cass's stern face? See if she gets an honorable mention in the next issue of Swords and Shields.

"Do tell us master storyteller where would the Champion of Kirkwall be if not for her trust scribe?" Now the damn Inquisitor was getting in on it.

"We've been over this before Kitara, Kirkwall was a pit of vipers before half of Ferelden wound up there. "He tips a mug in Cullen's direction. " All I did was call in a few favors for a few friends when everything went crazy….well crazier. No offence Curley."

"But I still don't understand." Cole insisted. "You write her letters, so many letters but you never send them."

"It appears Cassandra isn't' the only hopeless romantic in our midst Cole." the Inquisitor said with a smile.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a week since the tavern incident with Cole, damn kid see if he ever tried to help him become more human again. The Inquisitor and Chuckles had resumed their weird hot-cold romance and everyone seemed satisfied to let the matter drop that was until he needed to ask the Seeker for some info.

He found her, as usual above the armory a book in hand. Funny now that he knew she was an outed romantic he seemed to mind her abrasive personality less. But the book she was reading was _The Tale of the Champion._ Makers tits how many times had she read that one already.

"Listen Seeker, if you need a new story I'm sure I can get some advanced copies of something out of Kirkwall…No need to keep re-reading old stuff…"

With a wave of the book she motions for him to take a seat. It was odd to think that not many months ago they had been crossing the Waking Sea together Varric pretty sure he would never see home again. And now…what? They weren't exactly friends but they had grown comfortable in each other's presence. He leans back and kicks his feet on the table just to get the typical disgusted noise from Cass, she did not disappoint even with the small smile on her face. It was just their way.

"Actually, I chose to pick it up again after Cole's comments at the Inn."

"Listen Seeker, whatever you are looking for would NOT be in my books. A good artist changes enough to make it _fiction_."

"Not my point Varric. Having met Hawke and having traveled with you and accounts from Cullen it helps to get a better understanding of …events that happened in Kirkwall. Knowing the author's motivation changes the tone slightly." She flips to the end of the first Act, the deep roads. "This section, with you, the Hawke siblings and Anders is forty some odd pages. Finding the dwarven boy, your brothers betrayal Carter's sickness and your eventual escape amazing detail telling a fantastic is not mostly true story. " She passes flipping again and showing another section of the story he knew well.

"This entire section. The first time I met you I even commented it sounded so romantic. A mage standing toe to toe with an Arishock to save a friend who had taken over a new way of life. Even the passages where Anders almost died to save her from the sword wounds. All somewhat exaggerated but still within the story."

"If you are trying to convince me of how good I am Seeker you are doing a great job lemme tell you." Varric pulled out a flash a takes a swig before offering it to her. Surprisingly Cass takes a sip before going back to the well-worn book.

"But what you gloss over, the things that were only briefly mentioned, should have told me you were hiding more than I knew. Hawke's mothers' death….the build up and fight with the mage all detailed but her final moments and the weeks after Leandra's death totally glossed over. I can only image how Hawke recovered from that experience.

"Come on Seeker you know no one wants to see the dirty little details, anything that makes the hero look human…or vulnerable. " He tilts the flask in the direction of the war room.

"I have no doubt that what you and Hawke accomplished in Kirkwall was truly amazing. Cullen speaks nothing but praise for your efforts. But why even after the fact did you never tell Hawke how you felt?"

Varric almost chocked on his drink, damn that Seeker and her bluntness, damn that spirt-boy and his mouth. Most of all damn him for not having a good bullshit story to deflect this.

"Hate to be the one to disappoint a fan, least of all one that might break my face but not everything works out like in a story Cass. Big hole in the sky and Enchanters turning into giant corpses, explosions leveling city blocks and priests laying siege to cities. We both know life doesn't work out the way it should. Leandra? Nicest woman you ever met, real mom baking cookies type Junior? Just wanted to prove he was able to do things for himself ?comes down with the blight. Blonde? Shit he must have done something right to snag Hawke before the voices got to be too much for him…."

Cass stands up and folds her hands behind her back, thinking as she paced. A action he was well familiar with by now. He took another sip of his flask only to find it dry between the two of them.

"You know Varric when we were in the fade. Hawke didn't have on a wedding ring. She crossed the Waking Sea when you wrote her,even as a wanted fugitive. She said she would stop by before she left for Weisshaupt. You should tell her. You both deserve the chance to be happy." She puts the book in front of Varric and shuts the door. Cursing under his breath Varric looks at his own writing, one of the final chapters of the story, he had written it on the boat as they fled a burning Kirkwall.

_"And in the fading light of the Fire filled shore, The Champion looked at the city that had become her home slowly melt into the grey of the sea. She reached over and squeezed her brothers hand affectionately, concern flashed between the siblings as they looked at the unconscious form besides then and she turns to me. _

_It takes a few moments but the smile that defines her comes. Covered in blood and soot she is still beautiful, and we know dear readers, that the story of The Champion of Kirkwall is far from over."_


End file.
